66 Central Palace

◎A wife who has shared the hardships of life should not be divorced; this is the rule◎

Rong Qianyu stood up and walked over to her. "I want Yan'er to be my adopted daughter. I want to keep her by my side and raise her according to the rules of a princess. I'll bring her up and marry her off. I wonder if the princess would be willing to give her up?"

"Let her enter the palace?" Liu Yuan didn't understand what she was thinking.

In reality, Rong Qianyu simply wanted a hostage; keeping him by her side would deter the Prince of Jin and his wife from further rebellion. Secondly, she genuinely liked girls. Xiao'er was a boy, so she couldn't bring him with her, and the civil officials were watching him closely. Yan'er, being a girl, was closer to her mother. If Liu Yuan were to infect her, the child's life would be ruined.

However, her selfish motive was still the same as the one she had chatted with her under the pavilion that day. She was so rebellious that she refused to admit defeat and insisted on keeping Yan'er by her side and treating her equally.

"I have discussed this with His Majesty. Considering the difficulties faced by you, an orphan and a widow, I will continue to allow you to reside in the capital. Prince Jin will be confined to his residence and cannot leave until he is dead. When Xiao'er grows up, he will inherit the title, and Yan'er will remain with me as a princess."

Her husband's cold stare and the failure of her scheme had long since eroded the ladylike demeanor of this wealthy daughter. Her only solace had been being with her children, but now even this little wish of motherhood was being robbed.

She kept crying and kept muttering, "Why do I want Yan'er? Why Yan'er?"

Rong Qianyu lifted her tear-stained face and wiped away the tears with a handkerchief. "Didn't you say there were rules? You don't need to ask. Since you're a princess, you can't play with Shu'er. Now that you're a princess, there's no need for you, her mother, to covet it. I'll give it to you."

She didn't allow Liu Yuan to say anything more. She raised her left hand and called Xue Ji with great familiarity, "Master Xue, come in and announce the decree."

He came here today specifically to accompany her. The Queen's return to the palace must be celebrated with great fanfare, so he personally requested this task.

Entering the room, he announced the decree, "By the providence of Heaven, our Emperor decrees that the eldest daughter of the Prince of Jin, Princess Hexi, Qingyan, is of a gentle and kind nature, virtuous and virtuous, and pure and harmonious. On an auspicious day, she is to be canonized as Princess Hexi and adopted as the Empress's adopted daughter. She will be brought into the palace and raised like a real child. This announcement shall be made far and wide, and all shall hear of it. Respectfully!"

Things had come to this point, and when the tree fell, the monkeys scattered. Liu Yuan could only accept her fate, "Your servant... thank you for your grace." She seemed to have her soul sucked out, and she sat on the ground lifeless.

Although Prince Fu Zhang of Jin was the main culprit in this incident, without the instigation of the Liu family, without the instigation of Liu Yuan, and without Empress Liu Xian's suicide, it would be impossible for Fu Zhang to rebel.

"Please ask Her Majesty to return to the palace." Xue Ji urged from the side.

Seeing Rong Qianyu was about to leave, she suddenly crawled up to her, tugged at her dress and begged, "Can I see Yan'er? Let me see Yan'er."

"My Lady, be careful not to miss the auspicious time!"

"Behave yourself, and I'll let you and your daughter meet." After saying that, he pushed her away and left without looking back.

Xue Ji bent down and held Rong Qianyu's hand, just like the first time he took her to the platform. That time she became the Crown Princess, and this time he took her to the position of Queen.

The dust has settled, and I won’t have to live in such fear in the days ahead.

Since confirming their relationship during the Mid-Autumn Festival, Xue Ji and Rong Qianyu have not seen each other for two months, from early autumn to the beginning of winter.

This time he took her back in person.

The two of them waited for the auspicious time in the courtyard. Rong Qianyu watched him put on the red official uniform he wore when he first entered the Great Zhou. Two years had passed, and this time he was going to take her with him to become the queen again.

He looked tall and handsome in his bright clothes, with fair skin and a very beautiful figure. He didn't want to be portrayed as a fierce and evil person at all. Seeing such a good-looking person was something he liked, it seemed as if he remembered the scene in the palace corridor. The yellow leaves were withering, but he was particularly conspicuous, very cold.

"How did you tell His Majesty that you would be the welcoming envoy?" Rong Qianyu asked.

Xue Ji resisted the urge to kiss her, licked his lips and said with a silly smile: "Of course those stubborn old men won't agree, but I have to get them to agree."

It was a bleak autumn, and the ginkgo leaves in the courtyard fell in the wind, and happened to fall on Xue Ji. "The leaves fell on your shoulders."

She picked up the leaves for him and helped him tidy up the clothes on his chest. Under the love tree, they stood side by side. There was my shadow in your eyes, you were reflected in my eyes, and I was in your heart.

"Your Highness has suffered so much. The guards are waiting outside. Let's go." Xue Ji reached out and let Rong Qianyu's hand rest on his. Outside the door was a fleeting warmth between the two of them, and outside the door was the bustling world. He held her hand in the bustling crowd. He was a eunuch, and no one would think much of it. However, he had already secretly crossed the Chencang Pass and privately promised a lifetime of love.

Liu Yuan saw this sweet scene, but she didn't know the relationship between the two. The lively sound of gongs and drums outside the door obviously had nothing to do with her.

This time she had not been officially crowned as queen, and the Ministry of Rites only gave her half the ceremonial guard of a queen.

Xue Ji had deliberately made a grand ceremony, eager to tell everyone that this was the future queen, the jewel in his hand. Rong Qianyu shone with enchanting light amidst the crowd, wearing an exquisite crown and gorgeous clothes, looking even more beautiful than she had been two years ago.

She returned to the palace so ostentatiously this time just to tell everyone that only she could become Fu Hua's queen. Her firm and steady steps showed her demeanor.

In just two years, she has completely transformed.

At the palace gate, Fu Hua, very considerately, went out to greet her. The other female members of the family bowed first, "We respectfully welcome the Crown Princess back to the palace!"

Rong Qianyu saluted Fu Hua again, "Your Majesty, long live your Majesty."

"Jiming, you've worked hard." Then he pulled her from Xue Ji's hand and said, "Let's go back to the palace."

Many days had passed since he returned to the palace, and Fu Hua seemed to have completely forgotten the issue of establishing a queen, which had always concerned everyone.

Every time they went to court, the ministers would bring up this matter for discussion.

"Your Majesty, now that the new emperor has been decided and Prince Jin's rebellion has been basically resolved, it's time to appoint a queen." Huang Yun said.

The civil officials behind him echoed, "Yes, Your Majesty has been on the throne for nearly two months, and the beginning of winter is approaching. Various matters still require the Empress's supervision. Please, Your Majesty, appoint a harem as soon as possible to ensure the peace of the world."

Everyone was talking non-stop, but Fu Hua had his own ideas. No matter how noisy they were, he refused to express his opinion. "My dear ministers, there is no rush on this matter. I need to think about it again."

Huang Yun, as a minister of state, held considerable weight within the court. "When Your Majesty was the Crown Prince, you had a Crown Princess. Now, the Crown Princess has resolved Your Majesty's pressing need. I don't understand why Your Majesty is hesitating. Are you planning to appoint someone else?"

"That's exactly what I meant." Fu Hua suddenly spoke.

Upon hearing this, the usually taciturn He Qiong also stood up to refute, "It's customary to marry a wife who has shared your hardships. Besides, the Crown Princess hasn't violated the seven grounds for divorce. Rongguo even helped this time. How can we let her feel disappointed? Your Majesty still wants to appoint someone else. Isn't that just destroying the bridge after crossing the river!?"

Another group of ministers who supported Fu Hua stood up to refute, "Whoever His Majesty favors is his wife. Do you really want to make the decision for His Majesty?"

Huang Yun turned around and looked at the minister who had just spoken, and argued, "What do you mean? How can a king of a country disregard human feelings and etiquette?!"

The two sides argued like this without any conclusion, and finally ended hastily with Fu Hua's words, "Let me think about it."

The previous dynasty argued fiercely over this matter, but Rong Qianyu was unusually calm. She either played cards with the palace maids to pass the time or admired the flowers and brewed wine, as if these arguments had nothing to do with her.

"There was a quarrel this morning. What was it about?"

Rong Pan was extremely anxious. "Your Majesty, you don't care at all, yet you pretend to be so calm. What else could it be? Is it about establishing a queen?"

Yuan Qing added, "There are now two factions in the court. One side believes that a wife who has shared the hardships of life should not be divorced, and the Crown Princess should be crowned Queen. The other side believes that Your Majesty should make the decision himself and there is no need to ask others for advice. In other words..."

"He just wants to make Cui Rumei the queen. Even a fool can see that."

"Yes." The two didn't understand why Rong Qianyu was so calm this time.

"What's going on with Cui Rumei?" she asked.

As she spoke, Yuanqing was filled with grievances. "They're so extravagant now, giving out gifts to everyone they meet, as if the throne is already secured for them. They act like smug, like they've achieved their goals. They even asked the clothing department for a formal dress with Suzhou embroidery and a huge ivory crown. Your Majesty has never had one. They're simply meddling in your affairs."

Without even raising her head, she kept fiddling with a few very similar chrysanthemums in her hands, and said, "I know." It seemed that she cared more about whether the flower arrangement looked good today than the queen's position.

Neither fighting, nor crying, nor begging, just focusing on these yellow flowers.

Yuanqing was also getting anxious. After all the hard work, she finally had her happy ending. She couldn't let anyone else watch her, let alone let that villain step on her. "Your Majesty, why aren't you anxious at all? What should we do? What if Your Majesty doesn't become the Empress? What if His Majesty really does turn against us? Then..."

Rong Qianyu said calmly, "Don't worry, he won't regret it. He just needs time. Besides, there's no use being anxious. Be patient and you'll have a long way to go."

Rong Pan felt sorry for her and murmured impatiently, "Then I don't know how long we have to wait."

"Don't worry, it will be soon." She made another plan in her mind and patiently comforted them. "By the way, when will Your Majesty visit the Queen Mother tomorrow?"

"The Queen Mother can only take a nap in the afternoon at 3 p.m." Rong Pan replied.

Rong Qianyu nodded thoughtfully, but said nothing. "Go away. I'm tired today and want to take a nap."

But Rong Pan and Yuan Qing were a little restless. These masters all had their own ideas but didn't say them out loud. The emperor was not anxious, but the eunuchs were. The servants were just worrying about nothing.

That night, Rong Qianyu dismissed the servants and called Rong Pan to her side alone.

He took out a letter from his sleeve mysteriously and said, "Pan'er, this letter is for you. Please give it to His Majesty at 3 p.m. tomorrow."

Rong Pan looked at the letter, still puzzled as to what exactly she was planning. "To His Majesty?" she asked, puzzled. "If Your Majesty has any grievances, you can just tell me directly. Do you have any plans?"

Rong Qianyu replied: "This is a confession of guilt."